Irish Light
by Emily Kercheval
Summary: Things get hot between House and his new underling who is an Irish beauty and a prodigy.


October in New Jersey can be unforgiving to those who haven't resided in its cold temperatures for long. Chilling yet crisp winds had kicked up as heavily pregnant clouds threatened to blanket Princeton-Plainsboro with a thick layer of snow. Inside the Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital walked a man with a limp and a bottle of vicodin in his coat pocket. Gregory House, a complete jerk but he is the best diagnostician in the United States. He stood in the elevator before popping three white painkillers before his piercing blue eyes glanced to his right.  
Standing in the elevator was a woman, maybe twenty-two years old with shoulder-length, choppy fiery red hair and one blonde lock. She changed songs on her black iPod not paying attention to House staring at her. She had one blue eye and one brown eye. House studied her with interest; the corners of his lips turning up into a smirk. She wore a long-sleeved red, v-neck American eagle shirt with a white tank top underneath, butterscotch corduroy pants and black heeled boots. A Burberry scarf wrapped around her neck.  
The elevator stopped at his office level and they both got off as she tucked her iPod back into her faux snake-skin print purse. He flipped on the lights to the large office before turning and seeing the girl in the elevator standing at the door.

"Hello." He stated simply with arched brows of surprise. She flashed a pearly white smile.

"You must be Doctor House. I'm Ginger, Ginger O'Hare." She said, a thick Irish accent following her smooth voice. He glanced around a bit as he stood with his cane.

"I don't suppose you're a stripper." He said sarcastically before she reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope to him promptly. Reluctantly, he snatched the envelope and began opening it.

"It's almost ten o'clock in the morning, and I have a replacement for my underling that ran off to Europe with her new loaded hubby already. Then in ten seconds Cuddy is going to walk in with her face scrunched up and she'll screech like a hyena about how hard it was to get you here from across the globe. Tell me, did your hospital administrator have a permanent pole wedged up his ass?"

Ginger blinked in utter surprise before he offered her a seat on the white comfy chair, instantaneously she crossed her legs. He eyed her with interest before digging in a bunch of papers on his desk and pulled out her résumé.

"You're a pediatrician, a diagnostician, and a toxicologist. You are how old? Thirty?"

"I'm twenty four, I'm just smart. I graduated high school at fourteen, college at twenty, and here I am."

"Oh goodie. My two other underlings will be coming in, one by the name of Eric Foreman; my neurologist, and Robert Chase, my human scratch post." He spoke before sitting in his chair. Ginger looked around a bit in curiosity. "I assume you've gotten cozy somewhere?"

"Uhm yes I have. A nice little apartment not far from here. I'm still getting used to the way things work. My citizenship came through so I can legally work in this country." She spoke as two men walked in. An Australian, Chase, and an African American, Foreman. Ginger took off her black peacoat and hung it up with her scarf, tucking her gloves into her coat pocket as House let her wear his white coat. Lisa Cuddy, the Chief of Medicine, came into the office as she had a file in her hands.

"Here, six year old child with bloody diarrhea and a fever of 103. Doctor O'Hare I'm glad that you're able to be apart of the Princeton-Plainsboro medical team. If the insensitive and dense ass to your left gives you any problems let me know." She said shooting a glare towards House before she waltzed out. Ginger looked over at House with an arched brow.

"Don't worry, it's really funny when she gets this scrunched up face and screeches like a hyena. Really sexy I'll admit." He said and limped into the main room of the office to pour himself a fresh cup of coffee. Foreman looked over to House as he hung up his jacket.

"Going to introduce us to your friend?"

"No. Why should I share?" He said before Ginger got up and went over to Foreman.

"My name's Ginger, Ginger O'Hare."

"Eric Foreman and this is Robert Chase."

"Here, the shamrock and the dark one. Go see the patient since Ginger you are the pediatrician." House instructed as Foreman rolled his eyes as snatched the file as Foreman lead her to the pediatric wing. The boy, Dilan, was being held by his mother even though he was hooked up to various monitors. Ginger went in as Foreman waited outside, observing how she worked.

"Hi Dilan, my name's Dr. O'Hare, but, you can call me Miss Ginger. Can you tell me what's wrong?" She said, talking eye level with the boy. His eyes darted a little as she watched him.

"I had an accident…and I have a tummy ache." He said shyly but his eyes were still darting. She watched before taking out her pen.

"Dilan I want you to reach out and grab my pen." She spoke before he reached out but it took him a few tries to grasp it. Foreman noted this; the boy's new symptom was ataxia. His brain was losing control of his muscles and how he saw objects. "Okay,"

"W-w-what's wrong with him?" the mother asked with much concern.

"We won't know until we draw some blood, collect some urine, and then we'll let you know." Ginger said before she left the room and sighed a little. Foreman looked to her.

"You're very good with kids, is that why you're a pediatrician?"

"Yes and No."

Foreman arched a brow "Is that a trick question?"

"No. It's not. I'm a pediatrician because I want to see children live, not die." She was very terse. Was this a touchy subject for her? Foreman backed off, not wanting to press her buttons. Chase was working the neo-natal unit. House watched her come back in as he tossed his ball up into the air and onto his cane.

"I can already tell you what the kid has." Ginger said as she sat down at the table before Foreman wrote 'ataxia' on the whiteboard. House glanced to her for an answer as she got up and erased the symptoms and wrote 'Erdheim-Chester Syndrome'.

"Why? How can an 8 year old boy have ECS?" Foreman said with an upset tone that the newbie figured it out before him. Ginger sighed a little.

"Bloody Diarrhea, stomach pain, ataxia, and if we don't treat him for ECS then he'll get renal, pituitary and respiratory failure which are all treatable, except for death well that's permanent!" She became snappish and that grabbed House's attention immediately. It was a female Irish version of him! Foreman looked over at House for help.

"Treat the boy for ECS." He ordered Foreman before he threw up his arms before storming out to go treat him. House stood up as he watched Ginger and her body language.

"Spill it Ginger," He said as she glanced to him.

"It's personal alright? There's no reason you need to know my life."

"If it's going to affect your performance here in this office you might as well get your green card revoked and go back to Dublin."

Ginger took that as a threat before she sighed a little. "In my entire life, I've always wanted to be a mom. Ever since I was four, carrying baby dolls and pushing carriages with my mother. When I was seventeen, both my parents died and I lived with my boyfriend. He dumped me after we both learned I'm barren. I stuck it out while I was in college and that's why…I went for pediatrician." She said quickly. House looked her up and down for a moment.

"They have medication that might be able to correct that, or diagnose why you're barren." He said looking away from her. Ginger reminded him of Stacy, and it had been so long since he felt these kinds of emotions. Even though he hated it, he loved it. It was good for him. Ginger watched him as he looked away. They'd met not even three hours ago and they both acted like they had known each other for years. "Why don't you come over tonight and I will walk you through the hospital system, how to manipulate Cuddy, blackmail Wilson, and command the underlings when I don't feel like it."

Ginger blushed a deep crimson before she nodded curtly. It would be impolite to refuse his offer. After all, she needed to learn more about this place. House limped over to the coat rack and put on his coat and his backpack. "Get your coat, we're going now. Foreman can page me if he needs me. Besides, he has Chase."

Ginger nodded again as she bundled up and put on her peacoat. She followed him closely so she wouldn't get lost in the maze of hallways before they climbed up on his bike and headed down to his very spacious apartment. It was nicer than her small loft apartment that she had managed to get for a low price near the hospital. House entered his apartment and dropped his backpack, hanging up his coat. Ginger stepped inside timidly, hanging up her scarf and coat.

"In the hospital Cuddy runs the show, and if you can manipulate her you're in really good shape. Wilson is Head of Oncology but stay away from him; he has a fetish for needy women. Chase is an ex-rich boy from the land down under who got cut out of daddy's will. Foreman is my brain-damaged neurologist who used to steal cars but we treated from for nalgera after a brain biopsy. Me? I'm just an ass with a bum leg."

"I'm just an Irish immigrant with three majors from Ireland's most prestigious college, a medical prodigy, and can't have any children." Ginger sat down on his couch as he came in with two beers and some white sharp cheddar cheese.

"Is that the only reason why your life sucks? I know a bunch of guys that would like a chance with you even if you can't have children."

"I'm not sleeping with you." Ginger said bluntly as she knocked back the Budweiser. He chuckled a little.

"Well that rains on my parade, I might be able to help you with your mommy issues."

"Prescribe fertility medication? Invitro-fertilization? I've tried it. I've tried everything under the sun and nothing works. I'm barren."

"You've never been with me." He looked over to her. He was clinging to the spindles of love he felt already for this woman and he wasn't going to let go without a hard fight.

"You can't do anything House, and that's the end of the fairytale. Besides, its not like sleeping with you is some magic cure!" She said before he leaned over and gave her a kiss. They'd met nine hours ago and he was already kissing her. In that kiss Ginger realized how lonely she was in the world and kissed him back. He pulled away after a moment.

"If you tell me no, I'll push until I get what I want. You say I can't, and I say you can, just trust me." He said to her softly. "Besides, you're better off with me that you are with say Wilson who thrives of neediness."

In the morning House was disturbed from his slumber by his phone, the clock reading 10:13. He irritatedly grabbed it "This better be important."

"Get in here right now and cover your clinic hours!" the bark of Cuddy rang in House's ears

"Late night, sorry."

"That's right, yesterday was hooker night." Cuddy said sarcastically "Get in here now." House hung up the phone with a yawn.

"I'm going to do clinic so Cuddy can remove the stick that's shoved up her ass." He got up as he spoke before Ginger sat up in his bed, covered by a sheet, her hair a mess.

"Should I stay here?"

"Yes. I'll let Dr. Nolo take the next case." He said and changed into a brown shirt, black jacket, black slacks, and his brown converse before he left. Ginger got up and took a shower before washing her clothes though she laid on the couch in a pair of her shorts and a t-shirt with the Nike symbol on it.

"House!" snapped Wilson's voice as he signed in to do his two hours of clinic. "House!"

"What?" He looked over to him.

"Where's the new girl? Ginger? I thought she was supposed to have me take her on a tour today."

"At my apartment probably sleeping on my lumpy couch wearing my clothes."

Wilson looked astonished. "You…you slept already with Ginger, and she's been in the country for a day?!! Of all the low things!"

"She reminded me of how lonely I really am without Stacy. She's witty, like a hot babe-like Irish version of me."

"You're disgusting!"

"And you have a fetish for needy women and Ginger is very needy. For you it's like finding gold in the river." House snapped a bit and Wilson shut up. "She doesn't know how things work, American culture, how to drive cars, use our money. All she knows is how to do her job. You'd eat that buffet right up, so stay away from my girlfriend."

He moved into an exam room and saw a man sitting on the table and two women standing in the corner. "I'm Dr. House, what seems to be the problem?" The man and both women began to speak very quickly in an unrecognizable language. House winced as voices rose before his rose even further

"Hey! SHUT UP!"

They became silent as House pulled out his cellphone and dialed his home phone number which scared Ginger out of sleep.

"Hello?"

"Tell me what they're saying." He said and put the phone on speakerphone, the three individuals beginning to speak one by one.

"The man, he's having abdominal pain and an upset stomach and the two women are his girlfriends. He swallowed a diamond ring, meant for one of the girls." She translated the language, which was Gaelic. House sighed a bit.

"Tell him he needs surgery to remove the ring otherwise it'll be a painful digestion." House said and let Ginger translate before taking the phone off speaker. "Left a credit card for you on the counter. Buy some clothes, shoes, sexy underwear...have it sent to the apartment."

"Very funny…Thank you…"she said and hung up the phone as she got the card and went shopping on House's computer. Cuddy watched House work four hours of clinic, ridding of the backlog as he got his things.

"House…Wilson says Dr. O'Hare never showed up."

House rolled his eyes and stomped his good foot. "He's such a tattletale mom!" He said with sarcasm.

Cuddy gasped. "You slept with her!? After one day she's been in this country!!?"

"It's not like I lured her, besides, if I hadn't then Wilson would've and that would've screwed over my team. I'm going home, taking my vicodin as my girlfriend cooks me dinner and we have sex on my couch."

"I really don't know what your plans are." Cuddy said in disgust as House limped out of the hospital. Ginger was ordering various items as she smelt Chinese and heard the door shut.

"House?"

"Nope. Brad Pitt with Chinese food." House's voice broke the silence.

"Oh well you better leave before my boyfriend shows up and shoves his cane up your butt." She said and got off the computer before coming into the kitchen and he looked at her as he took out the boxes of Chinese food.

"Damn. I pictured you greeting me naked, but that'll do." He said as she smiled a little. "How much charge did you rack up on your new wardrobe?"

"On the upwards of $3,000."

"Wow. Stacy racked up about $10,000 when we were together. You're easy to please."

Ginger arched a brow as she watched him. "People already talking?"

"Let them be the gossipy teenage girls that they are. It doesn't matter who did who or who's dating who. It's our business unless I decide to let go of all of my ego-driven lies." He said and took out a pair of chopsticks. "Open." She went over to him as he set his cane down and put a few pieces of breaded shrimp in her mouth. "How's it taste?"

"Good, oh my god what is this?" She said as she chewed on it. Spicy yet flavorful as he smiled halfly.

"It's called Chinese food and what you're eating is five-star spicy Thai shrimp."

"I want another piece," she said after swallowing.

"One more piece for one kiss. Plant a big sloppy wet one,"

Ginger leaned up and gave him a kiss, a very passionate and loving kiss. He smiled against her lips a little. "I'll settle for that." He said and gave her another piece before handing her the box of Thai shrimp and the chopsticks. "What shall we watch?" she asked

"The New Yankee Workshop, nothing more suspenseful that a moron with power tools." House said and limped into the living room and sat down on the couch, messing with his TiVo to get the program running as she sat next to him before there was a knock on the door. House blinked a bit.

"Go away Wilson, I can hear you caring."

The door lock clicked and the door open as House sighed a bit "Remind me to change the locks." He looked at Ginger as Wilson came in with his bags. "I need a place to stay."

"What happened to you Dr. Wilson?" Ginger asked as she set her food down and got off the couch to help him.

"My wife…kicked me out." He said as he watched her pick up his bags as House stood up.

"Ginger hand me my cane,"

"What for?"

"I have a bum leg and I need to beat the crap out of the only oncologist in this room."

"What did I do!?" Wilson protested throwing his hands up.

"Get a hotel. You have the money, you aren't staying under the same roof as her," House said and Ginger just watched, not wanting to oppose House.

"You choose some girl you've known for upwards of two days over me, who you've known for years." He said and that made Ginger a little peeved herself, her temper flaring and House noticed this.

"And you're pissing her off. Keep it up and I don't get laid tonight." House said before grabbing his cane to be able to walk.

"I'm sorry all right? I take it back, please House…just a couple of days and then I'll leave." He said with a begging tone. House sighed and looked to Ginger who was overcome by her hospitable nature and put Wilson's stuff in the extra closet and his toiletries in the bathroom. House went over to Wilson.

"If you lay one finger on her, you'll be explaining to Cuddy why you have two broken knees." He said as a threat and Wilson blinked a bit and rubbed the back of his head.

"I will take that into thought and Ginger, thank you for putting my things away."

"Your welcome." She nodded before she picked up her diner again and finished it and threw away the container.

"I'll be back in a minute." House looked to her after leaning down to give her a quick kiss before looking at Wilson. "Just turn the television up if things get a little too loud for you." With that he went back to his bedroom and shut the door.

"How come he's a jerk?" she asked him as she got into bed with him, resting her head on House's chest.

"In the entire length of our friendship I was and still am the jerk, I've never seen Wilson get so pissy about whose spending time with whom. If I leave you in the same room as him, and he advances, give him a swift kick to the testicles." He said as he let his hand absently touch her hair.

"I'll keep that in mind." She said with a yawn.

Around five in the morning the phone rang and Ginger managed to answer it. "Hello?"

"Ginger, what are you doing at House's apartment?" Chase asked in surprise.

"I'll let him tell you, what's the problem? He's asleep."

"We have a woman in here with purple marks on her stomach, anaphylaxis, and tachycardia."

"Did you test for all heavy metals?"

"Foreman's running them now, we need you and House in here now."

"Do the test and do a full blood panel." She yawned and hung up the phone before sitting up. "Greg…Greg…" she said and shook his shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Case. Get up." She said and stretched before he turned over.

"It can wait till when my alarm goes off." He turned onto his side as Ginger got up and went out to the dryer and pulled out her caramel corduroys but went into House's closet and pulled out his black button up shirt and then pulled out her white tank top as she changed then went out to the kitchen to take her new cellphone and put it in her pocket.

"A case this early?" Wilson's voice emanated from on the couch.

"Yes, and I'm going to go in and help Chase and Foreman."

"Ginger," Wilson sat up as she went to leave. "I'll drive you."

"I need to learn how to drive and I know how to drive Greg's motorcycle, He showed me."

"I'll drive you, don't worry." Wilson got up and stretched a bit before she took House's keys to his bike.

"I said I can do it myself, Wilson, I'm sorry." She said and left the House, zipping away on the motorcycle. House awoke around 9:19 to his alarm and Wilson was already gone to the hospital. He looked around and just got dressed and took a cab into work since Ginger had taken his bike but when he got there, she wasn't there.

"Dark one, where's the Shamrock?" He said, still referring to his girlfriend by the shamrock as Foreman looked up to him and shook his head a bit. House blinked a bit. "What aren't you telling me?"

"When Chase called this morning, Ginger answered and then she was on her way in driving your motorcycle. Wilson said that she learned to drive it from watching from the back. She made a wide turn and slid, crashing into a pole. She's in ICU now."

"Why didn't anyone call me," He said with a flash of anger before he limped to the elevator to head up to the ICU. Ginger's back was covered in road rash, a concussion, and both her legs were broken. She was awake but much disoriented and Chase saw House and went outside.

"She's going to be fine but…her accent is gone,"

"What do you mean gone?" House said in a snap as Chase stared at him.

"Her concussion must've affected the speech center in the brain, her accent is gone. She speaks normally when we ask her questions but otherwise she's disoriented from the medication. We're treating her road rash with anti-biotic cream; the first layer of skin on her back was ripped clean off. Her left femur and right tibia were snapped and they used pins and bolts to pull the bones back together."

House moved into the room as her attention turned to House limping to her side before she looked away in shame.

"I'm sorry," she said with no accent in her voice.

"I'm not breaking up with you so don't look away Ginger," He said with no anger or sarcasm in his tone. She looked over to him, concern washing over his eyes.

"Wilson offered to drive but I said no, because I'd watched you drive the motorcycle. I thought I could do it…but I couldn't. I'm sorry I wrecked it."

"That's the least of my concerns." He sighed a bit. "I gave the case to Dr. Nolo, you're more of a priority to me and I don't want something to cloud my judgment." House was committed to her, and the way Chase saw it, this was going to be a serious relationship that was going to be good for House.

The recovery time that it took Ginger was about a year with no complications other than she lost her Irish accent and there was nothing they could do to bring it back to her but she didn't mind. Her back was scarred but that didn't make House deter away from her, it only made them grow closer. This didn't make things weird in the office at all. In the office they ran like they weren't dating but outside of the office you could definitely tell. Her hair had grown longer to the point she always had it either pinned up or in a ponytail.

"Hi, I'm Dr. O'Hare." She said as she walked into an exam room with a woman in stirrups. The woman fidgeted and Ginger looked over to the nurse and the nurse looked confused before she sat down on the swivel stool and took a look and gasped. "Bio bag please and call Dr. House for a consult." She said in utter surprise as she pulled out half a meth pipe and a dimebag of crystal methamphetamine.

House came in after a moment and just blinked a bit. "If it's a female thing you should know more than I do," He said almost automatically before she held up what she had pulled out. "…okay, well that wins the 'Weirdest Thing pulled out of an Orifice' contest hands down."

"This is only half of it Dr. House, I can't find the other."

"I'll contact a gynecologist who can poke and prod around until they find it. You have another high priority patient upstairs in NICU." He said before limping out as she sighed off on the cart and followed House.

"Greg," she said as he stopped to wait for her. "I have something to tell you…"

"Walk and Talk." He said with a nod of his head as they went upstairs.

"I'm pregnant." She said which made House stop cold. Ginger tilted her head a bit as she came around to face him. "Greg?" she said with concern. She was ecstatic; this was a miracle pregnancy. She was barren but she was three months pregnant. He was still frozen to the spot as Foreman came up and stared, puzzled.

"What's going on?" He looked to Ginger who as she blushed.

"I'm pregnant, and I'm barren."

"That's great! Congratulations!" Foreman said giving her a light hug. "Go up to NICU, I'll take care of him." He said as she got onto the elevator to head upstairs. Foreman pushed House a bit. "She's gone, turn off the dramatics.

"How can she be pregnant, when she's barren?" he asked, stumbling forward a bit on his cane. Foreman smiled to him before House went up to his office and sat down at his computer, accessing the mainframe as he looked up Ginger's file. "She's not lying, she's three months pregnant." He leaned back on the chair as Foreman looked at the hijacked files.

"Little girl," He pointed out. Ginger was busy treating a baby for Simon-Darwin Syndrome before heading back to the office and stopped in the doorway before seeing Foreman and House, and then Chase as Chase stirred his coffee. She looked down as she took off her white coat and picked up her white military jacket and put it on and picked up her white faux snakeskin purse and walked out to go home before House turned to watch her go before Chase looked at him along with Foreman.  
Ginger had gone home in her BMW that was the same model as Wilson's only black. She went inside and took off her jacket and set down her purse, heading to take a shower. On the coffee table were real estate ads and baby name books that she had bought to read, thinking that would tip House to that she was pregnant. She got into the shower before hearing the door shut but she ignored it.

"Ginger," House called as he set his backpack down and his coat. She washed her hair before she heard footsteps in the bathroom. "Ginger, I didn't…I didn't make you upset did I?" Now that didn't sound anything like House.

"No, I mean, I didn't expect it to happen either." She said as she finished her shower and put on her white terry cloth robe and her hair was wrapped in a towel as she got out. "But this is a miracle to me, and I don't want anything to happen to me."

"I don't either," He said as he moved to let her through. "That's why I want you to be my wife." He grabbed her hand as she walked and made her look at him before he slipped a platinum right with a 12 carat diamond rock set on it. She couldn't find words as tears welled into her eyes and she nodded as he smiled and hugged her close to him before looking down to her. "So what do you plan to name our daughter?"

"You know it's a girl?"

"I might've…hacked the hospitals mainframe to look at your file…"

"You could've asked, now Cuddy is going to chew your ass."

"Not if I lie." He said and kissed her forehead.

"I want to name her Sloe, Sloe Amelia."

"I'll consult Wilson about it in the morning." He said with a sigh.

In the morning their newest case was a 48-year-old man with hypoxia and psychotic bursts. Ginger drew blood for a tox panel, Chase right behind her. House had either Chase or Foreman with her at all times for protection and made sure nothing happened to her or the baby.

"What are you testing me for?"

"All heavy metals, toxins, and some of the blood will be tested for drugs and other nasty things that could be in your blood that will lead to a diagnosis." He seemed a bit on edge as she drew the blood before he flailed and tried to hit her.

"Stop touching me!!" He yelled before she stopped his swing, then he used his other fist to try and punch her. Chase managed to intervene and knocked him out with a drug. A psychotic outburst.

"Ginger are you okay?"

"I'm fine Chase; I'll go get this tested." She walked out quickly, her black heels clicking against the floor. Wilson was in the lab running tests as she began performing her own. He looked over to her sheepishly before noticing the large rock on her left ring finger.

"Should I start calling you Dr. House as well?"

"Next August you can,"

"It takes nine months for you to plan a wedding?"

"One I'm pregnant and two the baby is due in May."

"Double whammy, congratulations. I thought that you were supposed to be barren?"

"This is a miracle for me, and it'll be a little girl. Greg and I are naming her Sloe Amelia House." She smiled as she looked at the results of the tests before heading upstairs and presented the results to House. "High levels of arsenic."

"Treat him for arsenic poisoning." He said from under a book as he laid in his chair. She sighed tiredly as she went back downstairs before fainting in the hallway, a nurse catching her. Chase was walking to the elevator and saw, rushing over.

"Get her on oxygen!" He ordered urgently as they placed her onto a bed before the monitor began to chirp like haywire as she went into cardiac arrest. "She's in V-fib! Paddles!" He raised his voice and gave her a shock before regulating her heartbeat as she was admitted. House was paged immediately, and he came down in an instant.

"What happened!"

"The nurse said she fainted and I got her onto a bed before she went into V-fib cardiac arrest. One shock stabilized her heart and we pushed epinephrine to make sure her heart stays stable."

"and the baby?"

"fetal heartbeat is strong, no damage done to the fetus." Chase said as House sighed in relief.

"I was an EKG, MRI, and a blood panel." House dictated as Chase and a few nurses got to work, moving her to perform the tests. They needed to know why her heart went postal when all she did was faint. He held her hand in his as he stayed by her for all her tests. This was why he loved her, she was so god damn stubborn.

"House, There's a hole in her heart wall." Chase said quietly to him as they wheeled her back to her private room. She opened her eyes a bit to see House standing by her.

"…Greg?"

"Good, you're awake."

"Is the baby okay?"

"Sloe's fine but you aren't. You have a hole in your heart wall and you'll be put on a tissue regenerate that won't harm Sloe but it will repair the hole and rebuild the muscle." He said running his hand on her cheek.

"I need to get back to work." She tried to get up.

"No, you're going home to rest. Wilson will fill your meds and take you home. I'll come home around three with a quart of Thai shrimp and chicken fried rice." He leaned down and kissed her. She kissed him back before he left the room. Wilson helped her out to the car and drove her home after filling her prescriptions.

"I'm anticipating I'll be House's best man." Wilson said, breaking the silence and she nodded in agreement.

"I want Lisa to be my Maid of Honor, and I want you to be Sloe's godfather."

"You want me…to be…"He looked as Ginger nodded to him as he smiled. "I'm honored."

She smiled to him as they got to the apartment and she unlocked the door as she set down her meds. Wilson had never seen the apartment so spick and span. "You know what Ginger?"

"hm?"

"You are probably the best thing that's ever happened to House. He's still a dense and anti-semantic jerk but he isn't very nasty about it. He's happier, he's taking less pain pills, and he's excited about being a father."

"I'm glad I accepted the job, and when we marry, I'll legally be a U.S. citizen, and Sloe will be born into her citizenship." Ginger nodded a bit as she laid on the couch to relax. Wilson set her prescriptions on the counter before he looked at the few pictures stuck to the fridge, like the one of her and House when they went to Cancun last summer. He was smiling as she leaned against him.

"Your medication is on the counter, and tell House I want in on his next poker game."

"Then you tell him I bought us a four bedroom, three bathroom Mansion-layout home about four miles from Princeton-Plainsboro. The original price was $310,000 but I got it for $200,000. My own money so Greg shouldn't worry." She said lazily.

"Oh, so I presume that's where you frequently disappear to."

"This is what the nursery looks like." She dug into a drawer that was attached to the coffee table and pulled out her sketchbook. Pastel pink walls with a white ceiling, a Celtic prayer painted in Gaelic on the ceiling in pink, white wash antique crib, pink carpet, wood shelving around the room, satin white curtains on the window, antique rocking chair and Sloe's name on the wall by her crib painted in Gaelic in white.

"You're quite the designer, and artist. It's magnificent, is it finished?" Wilson asked.

"Yes, you think you could tell Greg? Please Wilson?"

"Of course but let me take your sketchbook. I imagine you sketched the outside of the home and have a layout?"

She handed him the sketchbook as Wilson went back to Princeton Plainsboro. House was sitting in his office playing with his red and grey tennis ball. Before Wilson could open his mouth House heaved a sigh.

"She's having an affair."

"House, you're jumping to conclusions."

"I'm dumping her tonight."

"You can't do that!"

"Watch me."

"How do you know she's having an affair?"

"All of the signs are there, even pregnant she leaves frequently and she's very secretive. It's an affair."

"Dump her, break her heart. You thrive on loneliness and you're looking for a reason to leave her. When you find her dead in your bathtub along with your unborn daughter don't you dare speak to me. She bought you both a nice home here, sketched it and the nursery she did for Sloe." Wilson said angrily, dropping the book on House's cluttered desk before storming back to his own office. House picked it up as Foreman and Chase came in to see what was going on. All three men looked at the beautifully detailed drawings.  
Now Wilson was going to tell Ginger what he'd said. He should've never said such things or even thought that Ginger would cheat on him, that was a horrid thing to think. Not the normal forgivable horrid. He accused the woman he loved and who loved him unconditionally, his fiancé, the mother of his unborn baby girl, of cheating. He got up and headed to the apartment, stopping to get her Thai shrimp. She slept soundly on the couch with the television on. He shut the door softly and set down his stuff. He went over to her and sighed a bit feeling like scum as he sat down on the couch, carefully lifting her up as he sat down then let her lay on him. He ran his fingers through her hair then absently let his hand rest on her stomach. He reached over to the phone and picked it up.

"…Hey mom, it's Gregory, I must've called when Dad takes you dancing on Thursdays. I just wanted to tell you that I'm getting married next August to my Irish girlfriend Ginger who is now four months pregnant with my daughter. I guess you'll not only have a daughter-in-law but a granddaughter. Love you both." He said and hung up as Ginger stirred a bit.

"Greg?"

"You're okay, go back to sleep."

"Did Wilson show you the book?"

"Yep and I'll call the movers tomorrow."

"I told him I wanted him to be Sloe's godfather."

"Good judgment." He sighed tiredly before the phone rang. "Hello?"

"It's not arsenic poisoning." Came Foreman's voice.

"Okay blackaparte, what causes high levels of arsenic, hypoxia, and psychosis?" House asked sarcastically.

"A malignant tumor pressing upon the frontal cortex that controls the organ function and the arsenic could've been an attempted suicide." Foreman said as matter of fact.

"Send him to neurology." House hung up before he fell asleep as well.

That morning a fresh snow had fallen as Ginger had ultrasound performed by Chase.

"There she is, your beautiful baby girl Ginger." Chase said with a smile as he took a picture so she could show House. House was very busy dictating the movers to put what where.

"This is your goddaughter Wilson." She showed the image to him as she walked with Wilson who was going to drive her to the new house. He smiled softly, looking at the image.

"I guess I should get used to being called Uncle Jimmy."

Ginger smiled a little bit as she watched them as she was let up and Wilson helped her to her feet. "I think we should see whether your fiancé has pissed off the movers or not."

"Don't bother, they're incompetent anyway. How's the demon?"

"Getting bigger by the months, you who did this to me."

"That's the hormones talking," He said and looked at the ultrasound. "Refrigerator worthy." 

The wedding in Dublin was lavish and little Sloe Amelia House was able to be held during the ceremony at two months old. Wilson had seen a drastic change in his friend but he still was a dense, ignorant asshole yet he was a devoted dad and melted when he was with his daughter. He sat in his office with a book over his face before Lisa picked it up.

"Clinic. Now."

"Sorry, up late."

"What internet porn again?"

"No, Sloe has cholic."

"That's right, you're playing the devoted dad now." Lisa was considerably over-jealous of Ginger and House's marriage and their baby. She wanted a baby so badly.

"Is there a hidden meaning behind that trite remark or are you just PMSing?"

"Bite me." Lisa snapped and stormed off.

"Big baby," He rolled his eyes and then was stopped by Foreman and Chase. "Okay wait don't tell me…a case!"

"Do you want a gold star for that?"

"No but I know that my daughter is attracted to bright colors, loud noises and shiny objects. I'm sure she'd appreciate it more than me." He popped a few pain pills. "What's up?"

"29-year-old female this time around. Fever, dementia, conjunctivitis and swallowing trouble."

House began to write on the board all of the symptoms. "ideas…"

"Lupus?"

"Wouldn't cause the dementia or the conjunctivitis." Chase commented towards Foreman. House looked around.

"No cookies for you, let's call the medical-mystery buster and get her input."

Ginger was at home in the kitchen giving Sloe a bath in the sink, who was not enjoying it, fussing and crying before the phone rang.

"Dr. O'Hare-House speaking," She tucked the phone on her shoulder as she focused on Sloe.

"Fever, dementia, conjunctivitis and swallowing problems…go." House said over the speaker. Ginger sighed a little bit.

"Is the patient skinny or showing signs of anorexia?"

"Not that I've noticed." Foreman said in confusion.

"Full blood panel, tox screen for all heavy metals, and pay attention to her skin. If I have a hunch, something will happen." Ginger said as House motioned for them to go.

"How's Sloe doing?"

"Not happy, I'm giving her a bath and I need you to get a refill of her colic medication before you leave today okay?"

"Okay, just were exactly are you taking my case?"

"A few years ago there was a man who went on vacation in Belize and then got very, very sick. He had preauricular lymphadenitis, periorbital edema, fever, dementia, swallowing issues. If it's the same thing dear, it's Chagas Disease. To get rid of the disease you have to find the parasite."

"Which is my beautiful wife…"

"Don't kiss my ass to get laid. You're looking for an assassin bug IF this really is Chagas Disease."

"Duly noted Ginger. Are you coming in with the squirt later on?"

"If she's feeling up to it, and you can tell Cuddy I'm not going to look at some man's seeping gonorrhea during my lunch hour when I come by."

"I will," He said and hung up. He wasn't used to saying 'I love you' yet without not meaning it. He loved his wife and daughter with every moral fiber of his being but it didn't stop him from being how he still was. Wilson enjoyed playing doting godfather to his goddaughter.


End file.
